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Tuesday 09:00 - 18:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 18:00 Thursday 09:00 - 18:00 Friday 09:00 - 18:00 Saturday 09:00 - 17:00

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Complementary & Alternative Health, Ronwill Street 758 Ramsgate, Ramsgate (2026)

13/01/2026

Let's explain a Baker's Cyst anatomy 🤔

Baker's Cyst, also known as a popliteal synovial cyst, is a fluid-filled swelling that develops in the popliteal fossa (the hallow space at the back of the knee). It is typical caused by the protrusion of the semi-membranosus bursa due to underlying knee joint issues.

Most baker's cysts are found incidentally and are asymptomatic. However, when symptoms occur, they often include the following 👉

SYMPTOMS:
Physical Signs - visible swelling or prominence in the back of the knee, leg edema and decreased range of motion. Foucher Sign - a classic clinical finding where the cyst becomes firm when the knee is fully extended and softens when the knee is bent (flexed). Pain & Sensation - discomfort in the popliteal space, especially during prolonged standing or hyper flexion. In some cases it can cause "shooting" (lancinating) pain down the back of the leg.

CAUSES & MECHANISM:
The cyst is essentially a "safety valve" for the knee. When the knee joint produces too much synovial fluid (often due to inflammation or injury), the fluid is pushed into the bursa at the base of the joint. Common underlying conditions are osteo-arthritis, meniscal tears, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Note, in children these cysts are usually primary (they arise on their own without injury). In adults its secondary to another pathology.

TREATMENT:
Treatment usually focuses on the underlying cause of the fluid buildup rather than the cyst itself. Reducing swelling, improving knee flexibility and strength as well as addressing underlying causes with techniques like manual therapy, mobilization and strengthening excercises to stabilize the joint and ease pain.

Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍😉

12/01/2026

How Nerve Location relates to pain 🤔

Did you know, the path your pain travels can indicate which lumbar nerve is irritated, a condition known as lumbar radiculopathy or sciatica, with different areas.

For example, pain radiating down the back of the thigh and into the calf and heel is often associated with an L5 or S1 nerve root, while an L4 nerve root might cause pain that moves more into the front of the thigh and shin. Let's explain how nerve location relates to pain.

L4 NERVE ROOT:
Irritation here can cause pain, numbness or weakness that travels down the front of the thigh and shin. You may experience weakness when trying to lift your foot (dorsiflexion).

L5 NERVE ROOT:
This often causes pain that travels from the lower back and buttocks down to the outer thigh, the front or side of the lower leg, and the top of the foot. Weakness in the ability to lift your foot (dorsiflexion is common).

S1 NERVE ROOT:
This is a common cause of pain that radiates down the back of the thigh, into the calf and to the heel and outer side of the foot. Weakness is present when rising onto your tiptoes and the achilles reflex may be lost.

TREATMENT:
Seek treatment if you experience severe leg weakness, loss of sensation in the leg, mobility difficulty and/or severe pain in the buttocks, legs and hips. Treatment focuses on evaluating the cause, nerve stimulation, mobilization, manual therapy as well as mayfascial release therapy.

Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍😉

19/12/2025

Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2026 🎄🎍🎀❤️💐

18/12/2025

Did you know that the path your pain travels, can indicate which lumbar nerve is irritated. Let's explain 🤔

It's a condition known as lumbar radiculopathy with different nerves affecting different areas of the body. For example, pain radiating down the back of the thigh and into the calf and heel is often associated with an L5 or S1 nerve root, while an L4 nerve root might cause pain that moves more into the front of the thigh and shin. Let's explain how nerve location relates to pain.

L4 - NERVE ROOT:
Irritation here can cause pain, numbness or weakness that travels down the front of the thigh and shin. You may experience weakness when trying to lift your foot (dorsiflexion).

L5 - NERVE ROOT:
This often causes pain that travels from the lower back and buttocks down to the outer thigh, the front or side of the lower leg and the top of the foot. Weakness in the ability to lift your foot (dorsiflexion) is common.

S1 - NERVE ROOT:
This is a common cause of pain that radiates down the back of the thigh, into the calf and to the heel and outer side of the foot. Weakness is present when rising onto your tiptoes and the achilles reflex may be lost.

WHEN TO SEEK TREATMENT:
Seek treatment if you experience severe leg weakness, loss of sensation in the leg or sudden bladder or bowel issues.

Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍😉

17/12/2025

Why your Jaw only clicks on one side: Let's explain 🤔

If your jaw only clicks on one side and your neck feels tighter on that same side, it's not random. It's not just the TMJ. It's a full body sensory loop that starts with the tongue and spinal down through the posture.

Your jaw clicks on one side because the disc is no longer centered. When the tongue rests unevenly or your bite hits early on one side, it pulls the disc out of place.

When your tongue drops unevenly or doesn't rest against the roof of the mouth, the jaw closes off-center. That means one side crashes early while the other side has to rotate to catch up. That early contact shifts the disc in the TMJ and the click you hear is the disc slipping in and out of position.

Everytime you open or close the mouth, that pattern re-inforces itself. But the body doesn't let the jaw twist alone.

The neck tightens to protect the joint. The head tilts or rotates to stay upright. The spine bends to accommodate the new head position. Your weight distribution shifts into one foot more than the other. And now you're not just clicking, you're rotating. Neck stiffness, shoulder tension, ribcage compression and foot instability can all trace back to that single asymmetry in the jaw.

If you've been chasing neck pain or jaw pain without results, this is why. Fixing the click isn't about massaging the neck or wearing a splint. It's about retraining the tongue, decompressing the jaw joint and restoring postural symmetry from the ground up. This isn't a local fix. It's a system reset, and most people miss it entirely. Your jaw is trying to tell you something. Stop ignoring it.

TREATMENT:
With forward head posture, the jaw hits early on one side, it jams the TMJ and the brain recruits deep neck flexors to protect the joint. These constant tension slides the head in front of the body and locks it there.

Treatment focuses on identifying the cause with movement assessment and uses excercises, manual therapy, mobilization and alignment. Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍🙂

16/12/2025

What Swollen Lymph Nodes mean. Let's explain 🤔

Swollen lymph nodes reflect an activated immune response in which lymphatic tissue enlarges to filter pathogens and inflammation. This enlargement is usually temporarily and indicates that the immune system is actively working.

Swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) are commen and that's actually a good thing. These pea or bean-sized tissues swell when the body fights illness. It's a normal immune response. It means that the immune system is trying to manage whatever's making you sick.

People often call lymph nodes "glands", but they are not. These nodes are part of the lymphatic system. They work like filters, clearing germs and waste from the lymph fluid. This clear or yellowish fluid consists of white blood cells, proteins and fatty components called lipids.

Lymph nodes come in groups or clusters, usually around major blood vessel junctions. While some groups are just underneath the skin, others are too deep to feel. The body has about 800 lymph nodes found neck, armpits, chest, belly and groin.

WHAT COUNTS AS SWOLLEN LYMPH NODES?
Size and Shape Changes - lymph nodes size depends on location. They're usually oval-shaped and about 1-2 cm across. Pain or Tenderness - common sign of inflammation. Consistency Changes - checking if lymp node feel hard and rubbery. Matting - that can make clusters of lymph nodes feel stuck together. Location - the condition you have can affect which lymph node swell. Location of swelling also matters, you get generalized swelling and localized swelling.

POSSIBLE CAUSES:
The lymph nodes swell when immune cells meet up before the body sends cells where they're needed. The immune cells all essentially pile in, causing pressure and swelling. Upper respiratory infections are the leading cause of swollen lymph nodes. You can have swollen lymph nodes with commen colds and flu, sinus infection, minor skin infections and bacterial infection.

Other causes include viral diseases, uncommen bacterial infection. Other causes include viral diseases, uncommen bacterial diseases, auto-immune diseases and endocrine conditions.

WHAT IS MANUAL LYMPH DRAINAGE? Manual lymph drainage is used for lymphedema relief. It re-directs the excess fluid out of swollen limbs and into an area of the body that has not been affected, so it can be filtered out and excreted properly.

Treatment (manual lymph drainage) available, contact me for more info 👍😉

15/12/2025

Whiplash: It's more than just a neck strain 🤔

A comprehensive look at what whiplash does to the brain-body integration system. Most people think of whiplash as "just a neck injury", but new research show it can affect deep neutral pathways and balance systems (even when conventional imaging shows no obvious damage).

Let's explore what science tells us and how this aligns with how the brain integrates sensory information.

WHY WHIPLASH IS MORE THAN MUSCULO-SKELETAL INJURY:
When the head is suddenly accelerated (as in car accidents or sports collisions) the force transmitted through the neck are not confined to muscles and ligaments, they also travel to the brain.

This acceleration-deceleration mechanism is a potential cause of mild traumatic brain injury, even in absence of traditional structural lesions on imaging. In other words, whiplash can cause true neurological disruption, not just soft tissue sprains.

WHY PATIENTS EXPERIENCE LINGERING SYMPTOMS:
After whiplash, the nervous system may not "reset" automatically leading to proprioceptive mismatch, postural instability, sensory conflict between neck, vestibular, visual systems and heightened autonomic responses.

The brain interprets conflicting sensory input as uncertainty or potential threat, which can perpetuate symptoms such as dizziness and imbalance, headaches, brain fog ect. These symptoms are not random, they are rooted in how the brain tries to reconcile inaccurate input after trauma.

HOW THIS FITS IN A FUNCTIONAL NEUROLOGY FRAMEWORK:
From a functional neurology perspective, the cervical spine is a source of sensory input, not just a support structure. Disruption of proprioception alters sensorimotor control and balance.

Central nervous system pathways may be affected even without visible lesions. Symptoms reflect disrupted integration rather than isolated mechanical pain.

This understanding bridges classic anatomical injury concepts and modern insights into neural connectivity and functional impairment.

KEY TAKEAWAY:
Whiplash is not simply a neck strain, it can involve altered sensory input from the neck, central pathway injury, impaired balance and postural control. Long term neurological adaption that sustains symptoms. Scientific evidence shows that whiplash can affect both peripheral sensorimotor systems and central neural pathways, providing a biological explanation for persistent symptoms, even when imaging looks normal.

Knowledge is power and understanding the science behind whiplash, can help patients and physicians approach recovery successfully 👍😉

14/12/2025

Just because the test says "FINE", doesn't mean a person's pain is imaginary 😉👍

14/12/2025

FRONTALIS MUSCLE SPINALE CELL TREATMENT RESEACH STUDY:
The muscle spinale function alerts the brain that nearby joints and soft tissues are in danger of being stretched too far. Let's explain 🤔

The frontal context interacts with the frontal bone and the surface of the frontal bone. This is the vast storage house of necessary information and processing and the home of the emotions in patients.

The frontal cranial dysfunction produces a normal eye/ocular orbit on one side, and a compressed ocular orbit on the other with the appearance of the frontal bone dropping into the orbit. Comparing the right and left superior orbital fissure, where some of the major cranial vessels transverse.

The superior orbital fissure virtually collapses and the lesser wing of the left spheroid pulls the orbit inferiority and pulls the eye posteriorly. Each of these disturbances can be noticed in every patient. In terms of cranial corrections, one must understand that the dural menigeal system and the endosteum one firmly adhered to the internal surfaces of the cranial bone, while the periosteun and muscle layers are adherent to the external surface of the cranial bone.

So, in fact, the cranial correction that one is trying to achieve is directly affecting the membrane system, which is the ultimate objective. The venous sinus system is intemately interwoven within the membrane system, so while correcting cranial lesions, one is effectively making the drainage of the brain more efficient, reducing swelling, inflammation and constructions of the vessels.

KEY OUTCOME:
This stabilizes the homeostatic function of blood volume into the brain, equal to the blood volume leaving the brain 👍😉

10/12/2025

What does Shoulder Impingement mean? 🤔

Shoulder impingement, also known as sub-acromial impingement syndrome, occurs when the tendons of the rotator cuff become compressed as they pass through the sub-acromial space. This often leads to pain, inflammation and reduced range of motion.

It can be caused by repetitive overhead activities, poor posture, muscular imbalances or structured abnormalities.

CAUSES:
Shoulder impingement is caused by repeated overhead arm motions (overuse) from sports or work, leading to inflammation and pinching of the rotator cuff tendons and bursa between the humerus (arm bone) and acromion (shoulder blade), often worsened by age-related degeneration, bone spurs, poor posture or sudden trauma like a fall, narrowing the space and causing pain with lifting the arm.

SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms include pain in the shoulder, especially with lifting the arm overhead. Pain at night, especially when lying on the affected shoulder, weakness and decreased range of motion. Pain during certain movements like reaching behind the back.

TREATMENT:
Treatment focussing on techniques like myofascial release, joint mobilization and soft tissue manipulation, which can reduce muscle tension and improve joint mobility. Strengthening the rotator cuff and shoulder stabilizers to improve shoulder mechanics as well as postural correction.

Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍😉

09/12/2025

Radial Nerve Palsy. Let's explain this pain condition 🤔

The radial nerve runs from the upper arm to the wrist and fingers. This nerve controls movement and sensation in the arm and hand, extension of the elbow, wrist and fingers.

Radial nerve palsy is a condition that affects the radial nerve and if damage to this nerve occurs, weakness, numbness and an inability to control the muscles served by this nerve palsy result. Along it's path to the fingertips, the radial nerve sends messages to muscles in the arm and hand to trigger movement and receives sensory messages to send back to the spinal cord and brain.

CAUSES:
A radial injury in the spiral groove may occur as a result of a humerus fracture or a condition in which you fall asleep with an arm dropped over the back of a chair. The pattern of numbness is usually worst from the wrist to the back of the thumb. As the radial nerve passes the elbow, it continues down the back of the hand, where it serves a purely sensory function. At this point the nerve is most succeptible to injury.

SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms include numbness from the triceps down the fingers. Difficulty extending the wrist or fingers. Pinching and grasping difficulties. Weakness or inability to control muscles from the triceps down to the fingers. Wrist drop, when the wrist hangs limpy and the patient cannot lift it. Injury at the axilla, immediately after branching from the brachial plexus, the radial nerve travels under the arm, close to the armpit which causes weakness.

TREATMENT:
Treatment focuses on nerve gliding to improve nerve movement, gentle stretching and strengthening forearm muscles as well as modalities to reduce inflammation and pain.

Treatment available, contact me for more info 👍😉

08/12/2025

The Cervical Spine & the Autonomic Nervous System. Let's explain 🤔

Sometimes neck pain gets misdiagnosed. We evaluate the neck differently, not just as a stock of bones or tight muscles, but as one of the most information-dense neurological and autonomic highways in the human body. The cervical spine houses critical gateways between the brain, spinal cord, sympathetic chain, blood flow and cranial-cervical sensory processors.

This is why issues in the neck can manifest as dizziness, headaches, heart-rate dysregulation, visual strain, balance changes, anxiety type symptoms, digestive issues and more. Let's break down why the cervical spine and the autonomic nervous system are so tightly connected.

CERVICAL SPINE IS A AUTONOMIC "CONTROL TOWER":
The upper cervical spine is the most mobile segment of the spine, but also the region where the brainstem transitions into the spinal cord. This area contains the nuclei that regulate heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and vagal bone, dense proprioceptive receptors and vestibular nuclei. Even subtle dysfunction, instability, altered joint mechanics, sensorimotor mismatch or muscle guarding, can influence global autonomic output, not just neck pain.

HOW CERVICAL DYSFUNCTION LEADS TO DIZZINESS:
Cervicogenic dizziness is not a primary veribular disorder. It's a sensory integration problem caused by abnormal cervical afferent input into the brainstem and cerebellum. This means that the brain builds balance from 3 systems, vestibular system (inner ear balance), visual system (eyes tracking), and cervical proprioception (neck joint position). Patients describe this as dizziness felt in their neck. They are correct mechanistic ally and neurologically.

CERVICAL-AUTONOMIC DYSREGULATION IS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED:
Many patients have been told "It's anxiety", "Your imaging looks normal", "Your blood work is fine", "You're just stressed" and "It's all in your head". Recent studies showed that when performing a functional neurological examination, the outcome showed altered cervical joint repositioning accuracy, asymmetrical VOR responses, suboccipital muscle hypertonicity, impaired gaze stability, HRV shift with cervical rotation or flexion and dizziness reproduced during cervical proprioceptive testing.

KEY TAKEAWAY:
These findings confirm that the neck is driving autonomic changes, not psychological stress alone when cervical afferent become distorted, the autonomic system shifts into compensation mode and dizziness, fatique, pressure and heart rate changes often follows. But when the integrity of the system is restored, patients get their life back 👍😉

Complementary & Alternative Health

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Tuesday	09:00 - 18:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 18:00
Thursday	09:00 - 18:00
Friday	09:00 - 18:00
Saturday	09:00 - 17:00